By The Rev. Bernard W. Poppe, RectorThe story of Jesus as a twelve year old is not one that we hear very often. It’s a rich one and curiously, of the four gospels, only Luke has it. That fact alone makes the story of particular interest. Why did Luke choose it? Did the other Gospel writers have access to this story? How did Luke who was not even a disciple of Jesus learn it?
Gospel stories always have tantalizing questions that cannot be answered, so we have to look at pieces of the story and glean from them important lessons and truths that speak to us.
Much of the story is believable, but some of it stretches a bit. Jesus was missing for four days. Even the most self absorbed child could have figured out that this was going to be a problem. When Mary and Joseph finally did find him, and get after him a bit, he chides them for not guessing where he’d be. I can see where that would also have been a problem for Jesus. I know what I would have gotten if I had answered my parents that way.
However, setting some of those issues aside, some of the details surface as particularly important. First the time and place of the event. Jesus is in the Temple of Jerusalem during Passover. The temple was the center of the city and the center of it’s life. In its December issue, National Geographic has a rendering of the temple complex based on archeological finds and descriptions from the Bible. It’s enormous in scope and gives a picture of how much of the everyday life went on in the Temple area. Markets, residences, places for animals, travelers, commerce, so many things. Within the huge complex was the sacred area for the ceremonies and religious teaching. This particular place would figure large in Jesus’ ministry in terms of his own preaching and teaching. It was here that he would turn over the tables in anger accusing the leaders of making the temple a den of thieves instead of a house of prayer. It was here that he would heal people on the Sabbath and be criticized for working on that holy day. It was here that he would enter the gates as the crowds shouted Hosanna and spread palms branches in his path, and it was in this very place that he would come to be tried and condemned to death, also during the Passover. The temple plays a large role in Jesus’ life and this incident certainly foreshadows it. It’s also interesting to note that it took his parents three days to find him. Numbers are important to Biblical writers and their uses are usually intentional. More foreshadowing.
Then there is Jesus’ age. He’s twelve. This is the time that most Jewish boys began preparing for the ritual entrance to adulthood called Bar Mitzvah. Learning at the feet of the elders is yet another way of demonstrating Jesus’ humanity and following the laws and traditions his people.
The Gospel story says that “All who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.” The amazement of those around him is a constant theme in Luke’s Gospel, and he seems to want to make it clear that these amazing qualities of Jesus appeared at an early age, but also that he increased in wisdom as the years went on. This suggests that Jesus did not know all things from the time of his birth, but that like any human grew and learned.
The Gospel closes with the observation that Mary treasured all these things in her heart. Other translations say “pondered these things in her heart.” Just as she pondered the message from the angel announcing the birth of Jesus, just as she pondered the gifts of the Magi, just as she pondered some of his teaching. She did a lot of pondering, our Mary. And God certainly knows she had much to ponder.
But I’d like to consider for a moment one aspect of this story that might connect us to Mary and be worth pondering. And that is the question, what happens when Jesus goes missing, or appears to? Mary certainly got angry with the words, “Your Father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety.” It’s painful to think of Mary and Joseph and the others with them, for that matter discovering that Jesus is missing from their caravan and making the decision to return to Jerusalem. The time that elapsed was four days. For a parent searching for a child four days must have seemed an eternity. The agony of self blame for not making sure the child was with them when they left, the worry about what might happen in that large, busy city structure. Where would the boy stay? Or eat? Who would be watching out for him and protecting him? That kind of pain is a parent’s worst nightmare.
For a person of faith, the worst nightmare is looking for Jesus in the midst of pain and struggling and not finding him or feeling him close by. It’s not uncommon for a person to feel abandoned by God when tragedy strikes. It’s not uncommon to feel angry at God when awful things happen. Later in the Gospels Jesus’ own friends Mary and Martha would get angry with him when their brother Lazarus died, saying that if he’d been there, it never would have happened.
When our souls are in pain, it’s a lonely feeling. We search for meaning and reasons and come up short. We look for a way for the pain to stop and it won’t. We turn to God, in what we hope might be prayer, but the prayer more often resembles accusation. And the loneliness continues.
There are also times that are not in the midst of tragedy, but simply time of feeling adrift and wondering where God is. Faith is an up and down thing. I think all people of faith feels times of spiritual strength and then times of spiritual emptiness. I’ve certainly felt that way and that might be why this story speaks to me in the way that it does.
As a story, there are holes in it, as I tried to point out! But as a spiritual illustration, it works quite well. At the time of celebration, Jesus is plainly in sight, but as the caravan left, they went a full day before they realized he was gone. That’s important. For people of faith, we can go on for quite a while not even realizing that something or someone is missing. We get caught up in the hum drum of everyday, or issues or any kind of busyness. This happens in relationships also. Without paying attention, an empty feeling creeps in to a point where at some point down the road, the discovery is made and then panic rises because now we can articulate what’s missing. Sometimes in relationships that point is too late. At other times, it happens in time to make a difference and for healing to come in. As it is with people, so it is with God.
And then the search begins. How do we reclaim that good relationship we once enjoyed? Where do we look? How long will it take? These are also tantalizing questions without answers until we begin.
For much of the time leading up to Christmas I was pretty sick with Bronchitis, but before it set in I was able to go to a holiday party. What usually happens, happened again, namely when someone I was just introduced to asked what I do. I explained and caused that deer in the headlight look in the person who asked. They immediately felt compelled to make excuses about why they didn’t go to church and assured me that they were spiritual, just not religious.
I don’t enjoy being a walking guilt trip for unsuspecting party goers and I assured the man that I was not on the liturgical police force and that his secret was safe with me. One of these times, when that happens again, I’m going to summon the courage to ask how that spirituality is nurtured, if not in community? Walks in nature are fine and are indeed spiritual experiences, but not even the grand canyon can engage a person in conversation and challenge them to articulate and grow in their spiritual understanding. This gospel image of Mary and Joseph returning with the caravan (since it was unsafe to travel alone) to search for Jesus makes sense. Just as it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a community of faith to raise a believer. We cannot do this alone. There are many communities available, to be sure. But a community is important to make the journey and continue the search. Others allow us to share the excitement of our discovery, the pain of our confusion, or the struggle to form questions. Helping others is another way of helping ourselves find deeper truths. The search for Jesus has to be intentional.
When they found him, he told them he’d been there all along. Right where they left him. If we’ve left Jesus behind, the chances are he’ll tell us the same thing. “I’ve been right here all along.”
Spirituality is a relationship with God. In the Christian faith, Jesus is the prism through which we form that relationship. The gospel stories cultivate the ground for the seed of our faith. The spirit of God gives it life. It doesn’t always seem clear, but when we’re struggling, there are others around who can help us search. When we are stronger, we can help others who need us.
In this Christmas season we celebrate the word made flesh. That word gives us much to ponder and be amazed about. Mary treasured these things in her heart and Luke wrote about them, so we can treasure them in ours. Amen.
© 2009 St. George's Episcopal Church, Maplewood, NJ
Posts
